"The Mad Hatters : Great Sporting Eccentrics of the Nineteenth Century" by Douglas Sutherland

[Ed Augusts]

Sutherland, Douglas. The Mad Hatters : Great Sporting Eccentrics of
the Nineteenth Century. Robert Hale, London. 1987. First Edition.
Square octavo. Silver stamped on black boards. Very good to fine
condition throughout, including attractive dustjacket which portrays
Squire Mitton indulging in a frightening act of bear-back riding in
his parlor. Dustjacket is further protected by a clear vinyl jacket.
A fun book, indeed, proving 'eccentrics' are wealthy, 'lunatics' are
poor. Some of these eccentrics weren't perceived to be lunatics until
they had spent all their money. Illustrated throughout with color and
b&w photos. $9.00.

One wonders what there was about England that made it home to such a
strange collection of eccentric characters, especially during the 19th
Century, when fellows such as Squire Mytton occurred as regular as
clockwork. Maybe because Robert Hale, the publisher, is in London, so
there is no point publishing a book about California or South Asian
eccentrics. Of course, Mytton stands at the apex of the pyramid of
fools, and I can't think of any loony characters quite like this, who
are NOT English, and of 19th and early 20th Century origin. Were there
loony Germans? Russians? Italians? French? Probably, but the
English twits seem to be the only ones that have been really written
about in a book like this. Take Squire Mytton, for example: He's
seen on the full-color cover illustration, a Victorian-era print,
riding around his drawing room on the back of a ferocious bear. The
bear is collared and Mytton holds the leash in one hand, and what
looks like a riding crop upraised in the other, a smug look on his
face, as his guests scatter for the exits or stand atop furniture to
keep their distance from the vicious beast that is showing his
teeth.

Mytton didn't go out hunting pheasant in August or September when the
birds were plentiful and easy to shoot. He'd go out in December or
January, and slide along on his stomach through the snow, wearing the
least possible clothing, in a battle of wits with the much more
difficult-to-spot winter bird.

Mytton was nicknamed 'Mango' as a youth, being a 'large pickle to end
all pickles'. He was both an eccentric and an alcoholic whose failure
in the game of life was ultimately reckoned to be on account of the 10
bottles of port which he drank per day. Strange accidents happen to
those who have had a bit too much to drink: the squire was suffering
from the hiccups one night he said, "Damn this hiccup! I'll frighten
it away!" when he grabbed a candle and set his nightshirt on fire. He
ended up with serious burns. He also ended up in debtor's prison. If
he'd been healthier he might have faced transportation to Australia,
but instead he died in prison. 10 bottles of port a day is at last 1
or 2 bottles too much, it seems.

These particular eccentrics were all hunters and fowlers, quailhunters
and sharpshooters, and knew how to pile-up a catch of pheasants,
quail, deer, etc. Even the Prince of Wales used a 12-gauge shotgun to
shoot deer. This is the kind of book that makes a reader feel pleased
that the British influence on culure and world affairs has collapsed
in recent decades, since its aristocracy and "sporty set" set a
generally bad example.

Here's Olsbaldeston, the "Little Wonder", the "Druid", Henry Hall
Dixon, though I'm not sure why he was perceived as druidic; the
Marquis of Hastings, who breakfasted on kipper bones cooked in gin.
And there are whole chapters to group like the "Pelicans", a men's
club addicted to boxing, as well as the gentleman's sport of duelling
to the death at ten paces over some imagined slight.

This is one of the books I just listed for sale on my EdsList which
can be seen on Page 4 of my www.edaugusts.com site.